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Freshman.doc

Inglewood
High is the world.  Or at least that is what I thought when I first
arrived at
Inglewood.  But as time progressed experience was gained, and I
learned that Inglewood
is but a step towards the rest of our lives, and the real world.
With all this knowledge
in my mind, I believe I would greatly be able to help a Freshman
student coming
to Inglewood for the first time.

The
situation is one I can relate to.  My younger brother will be
attending Inglewood
High next year.  Although he has not mentioned anything, I know what
he must
be thinking.  The rumors of fights, bad conditions of the school, bad
teaching, and riots
are all valid thoughts for a Freshman, considering only three years
ago that was the actual
situation at Inglewood.  But things have changed.  

Fights
and disturbances are always going to exist.  Confrontations between
people are,
I believe, human nature.  But the response to these confrontations
has somewhat improved.
We have many more securities as opposed to three years ago, or last
year for that
matter. And even though they can be more of a nuisance than a help at
times, some students
tend to feel safer when there are that many securities.

As
for the bad conditions of the school, well, that is a predicament
that has been somewhat
rectified.  A new coat of paint has been applied to the majority of
the buildings. Different
trees and plants have been planted in various spots throughout the
campus. Each
classroom has had new phone lines installed, giving Internet
accessibility to those classrooms
that have computers, and preparing those classrooms that do not.
These may seem
like small accomplishments, they provide a good boost to morale.  If
only the students
come to appreciate their school, then the problem of vandalism can be
handled more
efficiently.  

Then
we have the backbone of a school, teachers.  Teachers are what make
it happen
at a school.  They are the ones who ultimately decide whether or not
a student can pass
a class or not.  But the fact that the teaching at Inglewood High has
become synonymous
with inadequacy often discourages parents from sending their children
to Inglewood,
or children from choosing to go to Inglewood.  But that is one rumor
that I can
confidently dispel.  Inglewood High has hired countless new teachers
in the past three years.
These new teachers provide a fresh new perspective of teaching that
students can relate
to.  Of course there are also the teachers who have the experience to
back up their teaching
methods.  With a myriad of years at Inglewood, these “veterans”,
as I like to call them,
have been with Inglewood through the bad to now enjoy the good.
Though some teachers
seem to have lost their passion for teaching, the rest are, in my
opinion, proud and
happy to teach at Inglewood.

Cinco
de Mayo is another tradition of Inglewood. But not the celebration of
the meaning
of Cinco de Mayo, but the annual riots that once took place.  If you
have lived in Inglewood
at any time during the past ten years, then you have heard or seen
these calamitous
events.  Based in racial tensions starting back in 1989, the riots
that occurred during
the Cinco de Mayo celebrations eventually became an excuse to cause
mayhem and get
out of school.  The execution of the two lunches program, in which
the student population’s
lunch was split into two separate lunches, has helped in bridling
possible trouble.
In conjunction with stricter rules and more security, Cinco de Mayo
is once again a
joy filled celebration rather than a destructive melee.

Now
I can say that I’m happy that I have gone to Inglewood, despite all
the changes
the school underwent.  My first year there was the last year of the
riots, the last year
with a principal that seemed ineffective, and the last year of young
innocence.  I grew up
that year.  I learned that people can be difficult, that one must not
be afraid of new ideas,
that life isn’t fair.  These ideas are difficult to grasp alone, and
sometimes I wish I had
someone there to help me. Advice I have for incoming Freshman would
be based upon
my personal experiences, so of course opinions may vary.

Teachers
are the backbone of a school, like previously mentioned.  So of
course students
would want to develop good relationships with teachers. Whether you
develop a friendly
relationship or just a teacher-student type of relationship, be sure
to always have respect
for the teacher.  I know of one teacher I had that was easily the
best teacher I had in
my fours years at Inglewood.  He was a Physical Science teacher.  The
stories he had to tell
were always interesting and fun to hear.  The affinity I had for this
teacher is a good example
of a friendly relationship.  Of course there is always that one
teacher, the one that truly
gives a student a hard time, or lack of respect.  In such a situation
I suggest that a student
simply leave that class and switch over to a different teacher.
Hopefully there will be
better luck with the next one.

High
school may not be a melting pot of different cultures, but it is a
place where new
faces and new ideas surface.  Even though junior high school
introduces you to different
people and ideas, high school is really where you meet the kids from
all over the city.
I remember I first heard of veganism is the ninth grade.  The whole
idea of someone not
eating anything that comes form an animal amazed me.  Of course, in
the next four years
I learned many other things, most of which I dare not mention here.

When
it came to friends, I was a very lucky guy.  Having a laid back and positive
attitude helped me meet many interesting and fun people in high
school, while still staying
close to my old friends..  And even when people weren’t my close
friends, I at least knew
them.  A “hello”, or a “what’s up”, was always a
good way to meet, greet, and start a
conversation with people.  But no matter who your friends are, never
be afraid or too shy
to meet someone new.  That someone new could become your next close
friend.

Yes,
high school is a place of learning, but that doesn’t mean you can’t
have fun. Enjoy
the company of your friends, open your mind, take in new experiences.
Inglewood High
is the next stage of a lifetime. Hopefully my words can help a young
Freshman into that
stage.

Personal Statement

Why are parents
always right? No matter how much I argue, they cannot have a wrong
answer. Although I continued getting warnings from my family like,
“No seas tan flojo, ve y as algo constructivo.”, the
Spanish equivalent of, “Don’t be so lazy, go do something
constructive.”, I never quite understood why they continued to
push me so hard. Now that my future approaches,  I understand.
Although my family has never been directly involved with my school
education, the moral support they have provided me has helped me get
through those difficult points in life when you realize that life
will move on with or without you.

Both my parents
are of Mexican descent, born and raised in a small town in central Mexico. They had
the classic romance; meet a person you like in your town, go through the ritual
courting, then ask the person for their hand in marriage. Such
practices were normal back then,
but soon after they moved to Santa Monica, California my parents were forced to adapt to
a more liberal lifestyle. The small town mentality they once had no longer applied in
this new environment, as my father once learned. What he would have considered a small
argument between himself and another man ended in a gun being brandished and my
father being shot in the back. To this day the bullet remains lodged
in his back, a grim
reminder of the difference between their native society and the
American one.

Through such
stories of the difficulties my parents have endured, I have developed
a deep sense of
pride of my Mexican background, as well as pride in the ideas and
values my parents have
passed down to me. Although they believe in the opinions they
developed growing up in Mexico, my
parents developed the most open-minded attitudes I have ever observed, a trait
I am convinced I have gained as well.

Throughout my
life I have been very accepting of different people, regardless of ethnic
differences. I always attempt to treat others with respect and
dignity, and I never judge anyone based on outward appearance. Often
I may notice someone who may be dressed outlandishly or frankly
ridiculous, as was the case some time ago at my job. I was just
assisting a customer when a very muscular Indian man walked in. He
was wearing his hair straight up, with a torn yellow shirt and purple
pants. Although my immediate mental reaction was to label this man as
someone very odd, I stopped myself and realized that although I may
consider his clothes or hair to be bizarre, he most likely conceives
his clothing as normal. Through such experiences my view of people in
general has drastically changed to a much more comprehensive and
accepting one.

My parents are
very calm, mellow people. They never seek an argument, and definitely
never try to resort to physical violence as a solution to a quarrel.
They are the type of people who will attempt to calm down an
aggressor before he causes himself any trouble. Though I must admit I
seem to have developed a more confrontational attitude toward a
problem, I, too, try to never resort to physical violence to resolve
it.

One time at
school a man came up to me believing I was the guy who had stolen his
girlfriend from him. Albeit I knew that I wasn’t the same guy he
was referring to, he was obviously quite sure that I was the one.
After trying to talk him down, he still refused to listen to reason
and shoved me. While I’m not one to take anything of that nature
lightly, I merely regained my composure and stood there. He lunged
again and I was forced to hold him down, for he was actually shorter
than me. I very slowly explained that it could not possibly be me
because of the fact that he himself had described the guy as a
“…short little punk…”. As I was taller, he realized I was
right and dismissed himself.

My family has
been the sole guidance in my life, and although they may not have
contributed to my educational goals, they have taught me valuable
lessons that I will be able to utilize to further my educational
career, and my hopes for the future.